Furniture screws and hexagon screws
Furniture screws and hexagon screws often raise a lot of questions about how to drill holes for them and choose a tool for installation. Specialized hardware for assembly has certain characteristics, often suggest a secret installation. Therefore, about what the sizes and types of self-tapping screws with an internal hexagon, flat-head screws for furniture are, it is worth learning in more detail for everyone who is interested in the independent production of interior items.
Description and purpose
Furniture screw for a hexagon is a type of fastener for assembling furniture. It has a pointed or miniature drill tip to avoid pre-bore preparation.
It is important to choose self-tapping screws specifically for wood, because they have a wider thread pitch, provided specifically for securely fixing metal fasteners in fibrous material.
Such hardware is available with an internal and external hexagon. In the first case, it is represented by a slot into which an L-shaped key is inserted.
The screw for assembling furniture is a metal rod with a thread and a head. It has a pointed tip, but its thread is not designed for self-threading into the thickness of the material. The rest of the screws and screws are very similar. Their main purpose is to connect furniture parts in a horizontal and vertical plane. They are usually installed in parts of hull structures from:
- Chipboard;
- solid wood boards;
- Fiberboard and MDF;
- plywood.
The head in the construction of furniture hardware is needed to transfer force from the tool to the rod. The hexagonal spline is considered optimal for quick-assembly structures. It can be used for installation using only a key or a special bit for a drill and screwdriver. A distinctive feature of furniture fasteners is the presence of a noticeably protruding wide thread, which provides good contact with the surface of the material. Such a connection is almost impossible to damage or break - this will require significant effort.
The hardware itself is usually black with an oil-based protective coating. They are susceptible to corrosion, therefore, they are mainly used in secret installation, involving the subsequent installation of plastic plugs.
Much more often used are self-tapping screws and screws coated with zinc, chrome, nickel, brass or other metals, applied by an electroplating method.
What are they?
There are several varieties of furniture screws and screws for a hexagon at once. Among the most popular of them, the following row can be distinguished.
- Confirmation. This fastener is sometimes referred to as a Euro screw, since it is widespread in the EU countries. The most common confirmation size is 7 × 50 mm, with the help of which thick laminated chipboard sheets up to 16 mm are connected. In addition, options 5 × 40, 5 × 50, 6 × 50, 6.3 × 50, 7 × 70 mm are in demand. The product is supplied with a countersunk head installed with preliminary material countersink flush with the face of the surface. The hexagonal slot is the most popular, but there are also four-sided options, the coating of which is always stainless (brass or galvanized).
- Furniture screw. It is also a universal fastener with an external or internal hexagon.Its standard rod diameter is 6.3 mm, the length varies from 30 to 110 mm. Variants with an external hex head are so-called blind screws, installed in plastic dowels.
- Allen screw. It has a flat head and an internal hexagon - "inbus" slot. Refers to decorative varieties, has a blunt end.
- Self-tapping screw. For the assembly of furniture, it is better to choose not black, but yellow products - anodized elements. The head of such a self-tapping screw can be countersunk or semi-countersunk, if we are talking about a model with an internal hexagon. It allows you to hide the hardware. Some furniture structures are assembled exclusively using self-tapping screws with an external hexagon, screwed in with a special bat.
These are the main types of hex-head hardware used in the assembly of furniture, shelving, and interior structures.
Features of operation
To install furniture screws and screws for a hex wrench or bit, proper hole preparation is required. It will be necessary to drill it if the confirmation is to be mounted. For screws, preliminary preparation of the hole is also necessary, since they cannot screw in and create threads at the same time.
It is worth considering that the diameter of the drill should be slightly less than the thickness of the rod. In this case, the product will sit tightly in the nest, will not loosen and fall out.
When installing the confirmation, the order of work will be somewhat more complicated. The following sequence of actions is recommended.
- Perform marking in two planes at once. The jig template will help you to cope with the task.
- Drill 3 holes. One of them is a countersink, which serves for secret placement of the cap. And also you will need separate holes for the threaded element and the head. Drills for each element are selected separately.
- Install through and blind elements.
- Screw on the tie.
When drilling holes for confirmation, it is important to ensure that all elements match exactly. This can be done by fixing the parts in a vice or clamps.
In addition, it is necessary to choose a high-speed electric tool for drilling - this will avoid distortions in the geometry.
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